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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS1981

The Sun as a star

The ways in which solar astrophysics serves to improve the methodology for the interpretation of stellar observations and the construction of stellar atmospheric models are summarized. The astrophysical processes highlighted are: stellar mass; stellar rotation; stellar magnetism; stellar composition; stellar companions; and evolutionary history.

Rutten, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Momentum and energy balance in late-type stellar winds

Observations at ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths indicate that the classical picture of a static stellar atmosphere containing a radiative equilibrium temperature distribution is inapplicable to the majority of late type stars. Mass loss and the presence of atmospheric regions characterized by gas temperatures in excess of the stellar effective temperature appear to be almost ubiquitous throughout the HR diagram. Evidence pertaining to the thermal and dynamical structure of the outer envelopes of cool stars is summarized. These results are compared with the predictions of several theoretical models which were proposed to account for mass loss from latetype stars. Models in which the outflow is thermally radiatively, or wave driven are considered for identification of the physical processes responsible for the observed wind properties. The observed variation of both the wind, thermal and dynamical structure as one proceeds from the supergiant branch toward the main sequence in the cool portion of the HR diagram give consideration to potential mechanisms for heating and cooling the flow from low gravity stars.

Macgregor, K. B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Rototranslational collision-induced absorption by H2-H2 pairs at temperatures from 600 to 7000 K

The computation of the far-infrared, rototranslational (RT) collision-induced absorption (CIA) spectra of H2-H2 pairs is presented at temperatures from 600 to 7000 K for the first time. Theoretical results are based on the quantum mechanical and semiclassical, three lowest translational spectral moments obtained for H2 pairs. The effective, isotropic H2-H2 interaction potential, suitable for the high-temperature computations, and the ab initio induced dipoles, have been used as input. Special effort has been made to account for the rotational and vibrational states dependence of the dipoles, since it was found to be relevant at the high temperatures employed. The computations of the entire RT band account for all populated vibrational states of hydrogen molecule and include vibrational transitions v tends towards v-prime = v, with v = 0, 1, 2 and 3. The described method makes use of the adequately selected model line shapes with the temperature-dependent parameters. The presented model is useful for the 'model atmospheres' of zero- and low-metallicity, cool and dense stellar atmospheres, where CIA is known to be imporatnt.

Zheng, Chunguang↗
NASA NTRS1995

Non-LTE line-blanketed model atmospheres of hot stars. 1: Hybrid complete linearization/accelerated lambda iteration method

A new munerical method for computing non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE) model stellar atmospheres is presented. The method, called the hybird complete linearization/accelerated lambda iretation (CL/ALI) method, combines advantages of both its constituents. Its rate of convergence is virtually as high as for the standard CL method, while the computer time per iteration is almost as low as for the standard ALI method. The method is formulated as the standard complete lineariation, the only difference being that the radiation intensity at selected frequency points is not explicity linearized; instead, it is treated by means of the ALI approach. The scheme offers a wide spectrum of options, ranging from the full CL to the full ALI method. We deonstrate that the method works optimally if the majority of frequency points are treated in the ALI mode, while the radiation intensity at a few (typically two to 30) frequency points is explicity linearized. We show how this method can be applied to calculate metal line-blanketed non-LTE model atmospheres, by using the idea of 'superlevels' and 'superlines' introduced originally by Anderson (1989). We calculate several illustrative models taking into accont several tens of thosands of lines of Fe III to Fe IV and show that the hybrid CL/ALI method provides a robust method for calculating non-LTE line-blanketed model atmospheres for a wide range of stellar parameters. The results for individual stellar types will be presented in subsequent papers in this series.

Hubeny, I.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Muscles Treasury Survey. I. Motivation and Overview

Ground- and space-based planet searches employing radial velocity techniques and transit photometry have detected thousands of planet-hosting stars in the Milky Way. With so many planets discovered, the next step toward identifying potentially habitable planets is atmospheric characterization. While the Sun-Earth system provides a good framework for understanding the atmospheric chemistry of Earth-like planets around solar-type stars, the observational and theoretical constraints on the atmospheres of rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZs) around low-mass stars (K and M dwarfs) are relatively few. The chemistry of these atmospheres is controlled by the shape and absolute flux of the stellar spectral energy distribution (SED), however, flux distributions of relatively inactive low-mass stars are poorly understood at present. To address this issue, we have executed a panchromatic (X-ray to mid-IR) study of the SEDs of 11 nearby planet-hosting stars, the Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanetary Systems (MUSCLES) Treasury Survey. The MUSCLES program consists visible observations from Hubble and ground-based observatories. Infrared and astrophysically inaccessible wavelengths (EUV and Lyalpha) are reconstructed using stellar model spectra to fill in gaps in the observational data. In this overview and the companion papers describing the MUSCLES survey, we show that energetic radiation (X-ray and ultraviolet) is present from magnetically active stellar atmospheres at all times for stars as late as M6. The emission line luminosities of C IV and Mg II are strongly correlated with band-integrated luminosities and we present empirical relations that can be used to estimate broadband FUV and XUV (is equivalent to X-ray + EUV) fluxes from individual stellar emission line measurements. We find that while the slope of the SED, FUV/NUV, increases by approximately two orders of magnitude form early K to late M dwarfs (approximately equal 0.01-1), the absolute FUV and XUV flux levels at their corresponding HZ distances are constant to within factors of a few, spanning the range 10-70 erg per (sq cm) s in the HZ. Despite the lack of strong stellar activity indicators in their optical spectra, several of the M dwarfs in our sample show spectacular UV flare emission in their light curves. We present an example with flare/quiescent ultraviolet flux ratios of the order of 100:1 where the transition region energy output during the flare is comparable to the total quiescent luminosity of the star E(sub flare)(UV) approximately 0.3 L(sub *) delta (t) (delta t = 1 s). Finally, we interpret enhanced L(line)/L(sub Bol) ratios for C IV and N V as tentative observational evidence for the interaction of planets with large planetary mass-to-orbital distance ratios (M(sub plan)/A(sub plan)) with the transition regions of their host stars.

Infrared and astrophysically inaccessible waveleng↗
NASA NTRS1981

Second Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems, and the Sun, volume 1

Solar and stellar atmospheric phenomena and their fundamental physical properties such as gravity, effective temperature and rotation rate, which provides the range in parameter space required to test various theoretical models were investigated. The similarity between solar activity and stellar activity is documented. Some of the topics discussed are: atmospheric structure, magnetic fields, solar and stellar activity, and evolution.

Giampapa, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Photospheres of hot stars. IV - Spectral type O4

The basic stellar parameters of a supergiant (Zeta Pup) and two main-sequence stars, 9 Sgr and HD 46223, at spectral class O4 are determined using line profile analysis. The stellar parameters are determined by comparing high signal-to-noise hydrogen and helium line profiles with those from stellar atmosphere models which include the effect of radiation scattered back onto the photosphere from an overlying stellar wind, an effect referred to as wind blanketing. At spectral class O4, the inclusion of wind-blanketing in the model atmosphere reduces the effective temperature by an average of 10 percent. This shift in effective temperature is also reflected by shifts in several other stellar parameters relative to previous O4 spectral-type calibrations. It is also shown through the analysis of the two O4 V stars that scatter in spectral type calibrations is introduced by assuming that the observed line profile reflects the photospheric stellar parameters.

Bohannan, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS1985

Nonthermal Radio Emission and the HR Diagram

Perhaps the most reliable indicator of non-radiative heating/momentum in a stellar atmosphere is the presence of nonthermal radio emission. To date, 77 normal stellar objects have been detected and identified as nonthermal sources. These stellar objects are tabulated herein. It is apparent that non-thermal radio emission is not ubiquitous across the HR diagram. This is clearly the case for the single stars; it is not as clear for the binaries unless the radio emission is associated with their late-type components. Choosing to make this association, the single stars and the late-type components are plotted together. The following picture emerges: (1) there are four locations on the HR diagram where non-thermal radio stars are found; (2) the peak incoherent 5 GHz luminosities show a suprisingly small range for stars within each class; (3) the fraction of stellar energy that escapes as radio emission can be estimated by comparing the integrated maximum radio luminosity to the bolometric luminosity; (4) there are no apparent differences in L sub R between binaries with two cool components, binaries with one hot and one cool component, and single stars for classes C and D; and (5) The late-type stars (classes B, C, and D) are located in parts of the HR diagram where there is reason to suspect that the surfaces of the stars are being braked with respect to their interiors.

Gibson, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Mg II emission from shock waves in Mira variables

In order to investigate the atmospheric shock dynamics of Miras, a program to monitor the ultraviolet Mg II flux, the visual magnitude (using the IUE FES-magnitude) and whenever possible the hydrogen Balmer emission for several Miras was initiated. Results suggest that it should be possible to derive the density structure of the atmosphere and hence estimate quite accurately the kinetic energy input into the stellar atmosphere. The atmospheric shock models suggest that at phase equal 1.0 most of the energy which enters the region where the shock is located ends up in the wind. This is after the strongest Mg II emission is seen. From an observed velocity at infinity and an estimate of the energy input derived from the Mg II flux, it will be possible to determine the mass loss rate for these objects.

Brugel, Edward W.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Virtual Observatory Service TheoSSA: Establishing a Database of Synthetic Stellar Flux Standards I. NLTE Spectral Analysis of the DA-Type White Dwarf G191-B2B *,**,***,****

Hydrogen-rich, DA-type white dwarfs are particularly suited as primary standard stars for flux calibration. State-of-the-art NLTE models consider opacities of species up to trans-iron elements and provide reliable synthetic stellar-atmosphere spectra to compare with observations. Aims. We will establish a database of theoretical spectra of stellar flux standards that are easily accessible via a web interface. Methods. In the framework of the Virtual Observatory, the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory developed the registered service TheoSSA. It provides easy access to stellar spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and is intended to ingest SEDs calculated by any model-atmosphere code. In case of the DA white dwarf G191−B2B, we demonstrate that the model reproduces not only its overall continuum shape but also the numerous metal lines exhibited in its ultraviolet spectrum. Results. TheoSSA is in operation and contains presently a variety of SEDs for DA-type white dwarfs. It will be extended in the near future and can host SEDs of all primary and secondary flux standards. The spectral analysis of G191−B2B has shown that our hydrostatic models reproduce the observations best at Teff =60 000 +/- 2000K and log g=7.60 +/- 0.05.We newly identified Fe vi, Ni vi, and Zn iv lines. For the first time, we determined the photospheric zinc abundance with a logarithmic mass fraction of −4.89 (7.5 × solar). The abundances of He (upper limit), C, N, O, Al, Si, O, P, S, Fe, Ni, Ge, and Sn were precisely determined. Upper abundance limits of about 10% solar were derived for Ti, Cr, Mn, and Co. Conclusions. The TheoSSA database of theoretical SEDs of stellar flux standards guarantees that the flux calibration of all astronomical data and cross-calibration between different instruments can be based on the same models and SEDs calculated with different model-atmosphere codes and are easy to compare.

Observatory↗
NASA NTRS2008

The ALI-ARMS Code for Modeling Atmospheric non-LTE Molecular Band Emissions: Current Status and Applications

The Accelerated Lambda Iteration (ALI) technique was developed in stellar astrophysics at the beginning of 1990s for solving the non-LTE radiative transfer problem in atomic lines and multiplets in stellar atmospheres. It was later successfully applied to modeling the non-LTE emissions and radiative cooling/heating in the vibrational-rotational bands of molecules in planetary atmospheres. Similar to the standard lambda iterations ALI operates with the matrices of minimal dimension. However, it provides higher convergence rate and stability due to removing from the iterating process the photons trapped in the optically thick line cores. In the current ALI-ARMS (ALI for Atmospheric Radiation and Molecular Spectra) code version additional acceleration of calculations is provided by utilizing the opacity distribution function (ODF) approach and "decoupling". The former allows replacing the band branches by single lines of special shape, whereas the latter treats non-linearity caused by strong near-resonant vibration-vibrational level coupling without additional linearizing the statistical equilibrium equations. Latest code application for the non-LTE diagnostics of the molecular band emissions of Earth's and Martian atmospheres as well as for the non-LTE IR cooling/heating calculations are discussed.

Kutepov, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Radiative transfer in the dynamic atmospheres of long period variable stars

An iterative procedure is presented for determining the thermal structure and dynamics of Mira-type stellar atmospheres, where the non-LTE radiative transfer code PANDORA is used in conjunction with the Bowen hydrodynamics code of Iowa State University. Preliminary results are reported for an atmospheric model of a pulsating AGB star of 1 solar mass, 240 solar radii, Teff = 3000 K, and a period of 320 days. At the present time, H, H(-), Mg I, and Mg II radiative transfer calculations have been completed and synthetic spectra are shown for H-alpha. The radiative transfer calculations demonstrate that cooling in the innermost shock of the original Bowen model is underestimated due to the omission of various hydrogen transitions. These initial results suggest that the main shock of the Bowen models are too hot and/or too deep.

Luttermoser, Donald G.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Parameterizations of Chromospheric Condensations in dG and dMe Model Flare Atmospheres

The origin of the near-ultraviolet and optical continuum radiation in flares is critical for understanding particle acceleration and impulsive heating in stellar atmospheres. Radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations in 1D have shown that high energy deposition rates from electron beams produce two flaring layers at T approximately 10 (exp 4) K that develop in the chromosphere: a cooling condensation (downflowing compression) and heated non-moving (stationary) flare layers just below the condensation. These atmospheres reproduce several observed phenomena in flare spectra, such as the red-wing asymmetry of the emission lines in solar flares and a small Balmer jump ratio in M dwarf flares. The high beam flux simulations are computationally expensive in 1D, and the (human) timescales for completing NLTE models with adaptive grids in 3D will likely be unwieldy for some time to come. We have developed a prescription for predicting the approximate evolved states, continuum optical depth, and emergent continuum flux spectra of RHD model flare atmospheres. These approximate prescriptions are based on an important atmospheric parameter: the column mass (m(sub ref)) at which hydrogen becomes nearly completely ionized at the depths that are approximately in steady state with the electron beam heating. Using this new modeling approach, we find that high energy flux density (>F11) electron beams are needed to reproduce the brightest observed continuum intensity in IRIS data of the 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare, and that variation in m(sub ref) from 0.001 to 0.02 g cm (exp -2) reproduces most of the observed range of the optical continuum flux ratios at the peak of M dwarf flares.

Kowalski, Adam F.↗